Robert Frost and Austin Osman
Robert Frost (1874-1963) and Austin Osman (1893-1987) were two great poets. Though they belonged to different cultural backgrounds and wrote in different eras, they have one thing in common: their love for nature and its importance.
Frost was a prominent American poet and essayist, who wrote primarily in the traditional poetic forms of northern New England. He is remembered for his use of New England phrases and references in his poetry, as well as his ability to narrate the scenes and emotions the rural landscape evokes. Frosts poems focus on nature and human relationships, and his details about landscape help the reader understand the poetic imagery and symbolize the poet’s emotions and thoughts.
Osman was an English poet and critic, who is best known for his poems about nature, particularly about his home county of Cumberland. Osman was hugely influenced by the Romantic poets of the 19th century, and his style was unmistakably original, incorporating vivid imagery and personification of nature in a way that evoked strong emotion. Osman wrote direct and insightful poetry, often celebrating the beauty and bounty of nature, but sometimes exposing the darker feelings of loneliness and depression that nature is capable of producing.
Frost and Osman both believed that nature held a special power and beauty, and both used its imagery extensively to articulate their feelings in poetry. For example, in Frosts poem Birches, he uses details of nature to symbolize his longing for his lost childhood, with birches bending to the touch of an imaginary ice storm at the end of the poem. Similarly, in Osmans poem Roses of Cumberland, he uses simple references to nature to show how much he loves and values his home county of Cumberland.
Despite their differences in style, Frost and Osman both embraced and celebrated nature in their works. By using the details of their respective landscapes, Frost and Osman gave the reader insight into their own internal worlds and emotions, providing an entry point for others to relate to. Their understanding of nature reveals a great deal about the beauty and power of nature, as well as its contradictions and secrets. Ultimately, Frost and Osmans poetry is a testament to their strong belief in nature and its importance.
